Before The Flames
by BURNITWITHFIRE
Summary: Before the legendary Katniss Everdeen. Before the Revolution. Before The Flames. Let the 18th Annual Hunger Games Begin. *A colaboration with TheLunyOne. Rated M for lemon-scented scenes.*


Through the sheer white curtains leaked in the sun's brilliant bright light. The warmth illuminated the once-dark room. With a moan, a girl with shoulder-length black hair untangled herself from the sheets in her bed. She sat up and glanced around.

"Jade! Get down here!" Bellowed a deep, male voice from outside the bedroom door. The girl groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever." She hissed under her breath as she swung her legs over the side of her bed. She pulled up the sheet that had been keeping her warm to where her pillows lay. Calling it done, Jade turned around and took two long strides to a wooden wardrobe. The cabinet stood in the corner of the room, standing crooked on the worn floors. It was a sad looking piece of furniture, really. She was in need of a new dresser, but sadly they couldn't afford one at this point.

The bottom half was made of poorly constructed drawers, and the top half had two doors and a latch, holding them closed. The wood was nicked and scratched, wounded from rough handling while shipping supposedly. Muttering to herself, the black-haired girl unlatched the doors and pulled them open.

Jade cringed as the doors made a ear-splitting creak, but forced herself to continue what she was doing. She brought out a dark green shirt and tossed it over her shoulder. It landed on the hand-crafted wooden floors with a dull thump, a pair of ripped blue jeans soon following in pursuit. Jade closed the doors and locked it once more before crouching down before the bottom half, much like she did every morning.

"Jade!" Now seeming to be at least ten times louder and now filled with anger, the voice came again. Jade turned around, still crouching, to glare at the door as if doing so would make the man downstairs stop yelling.

"I'm coming! Be patient!" Jade replied, her voice exasperated and annoyed. She had been taught to respect her elders, but her respect for the certain man downstairs was wearing thin. She shook her head, moving the hair that hung over her eyes out of the way. She turned back around and pulled open one of the drawers.

It slid out of the wardrobe and sent her tumbling backwards, along with sending her undergarments all over the floor. Grumbling, Jade pushed herself back up and gathered the articles of clothing back up, shoving it back in the drawer. She took out what she needed and put the drawer back where it belonged.

Standing up, she shifted her weight from leg to leg, attempting to get the feeling back in her claves. Once she could walk, she kicked her clothes into a pile at her feet. She ripped her sleep clothes from her body, now standing naked in the middle of her room.

Jade bent over and retrieved the green shirt she had picked out. After she had fastned her bra, she slipped the shirt on over, adjusting it so that it rested smoothly on her shoulder. She then grabbed her underwear and slipped them on quickly. The girls jeans came on next. They were probably three sizes too big, but it was the most comfortable pair of pants she had to ware these days.

She buttoned the jeans and tugged the green shirt over the waist, covering the button with modesty. With a sigh, she shook out her hair before starting towards a small vanity. The piece of woodwork leaned against the wall, the back legs no longer even with the front. She had a book shoved under one of the legs, but it did no good. It stayed there simply because it would be too much work to pull it back out.

Looking at herself in the mirror, her jet-black hair brushing against her shoulders. She noticed a few stray strands sticking up and going every which way and cracked a smile, thinking about how much she looked like her mother. Or, what she remembered her mother looked like, anyways.

Taking in a deep, shaky breath, the girl shook herself. Jade attempted to push the thought away, but it was no use. Her memories of the good days haunted her day and night, forever and always. Sighing, Jade picked up a fancy-looking brush. The back of it had been beautified by her mother; Various shards of precious, expensive-looking glass glued onto it, and in the middle was a gleaming red stone.

A garnet, her father told her. Garnet was her mother's birthstone. She turned the brush over in her hand, examining the fine bristles. Well, had been. Jade's mother had died in a terrible accident as far as she was told, but she had always gotten a bad feeling from that story. It was like she knew it was a lie…Lost in her own thoughts, bringing the brush through her sleek, black hair, Jade had barely heard her the man downstairs yell once more.

"Jade, dammit, get down here THIS instant!" The voice was booming, and Jade swore she felt the floor vibrate. Shuddering, Jade slowly stood up and started out of the room, deciding it would be best to just hurry. She grasped the loose, brass door handle and twisted it. The door swung open, but not without yet another blood-curdling screech.

She rushed out and into the small hallway. With a sharp turn to the left, she ran down the stairs, skipping every other step, and ended up in the living area. Her gaze swept across the room, searching for the owner of the angry voice.

The living quarters had a small, brown couch with missing cushions and a rip in the back. In a tiled portion of the room was a stove and a small fridge, along with various pots and pans and other utensils. The tiles were dirty and grimy, the grout turning brown with age. The wooden floors creaked when stepped on, and occasionally would pop out of the ground. When it rained, the small house would be wet and soggy for weeks.

"What the hell where you doing up there for so long?" The man growled suddenly, towering over the girl and bringing her out of her thoughts. She opened her mouth to reply, but was sentenced to silence when he brought his hand back and hit her across the face, leaving a bright red mark behind. A short, scared breath was taken before Jade could speak.

"I'm sorry, dad." She replied, attempting to make her voice sound as sincere as it could. Her father scowled, shaking his head disapprovingly. He pressed his lips together, glowering at her. She looked away, shrinking back from his harsh gaze.

"Take that to Demos." Waving his hands towards a freshly shipped Peace-Keeper uniform, Jade watched as he disappeared up the steps. Jade swallowed and nodded solemnly, remembering the last time she had visited her father's twisted friend. Her eyes became clouded as she drifted off into a flashback of horror. She stumbled to the left and grasped the couch for support. With a deep breath, she pushed the memory away, refusing to remember right now.

The girl stood in place for a moment, she closed her eyes gathered herself. Jade picked up the clothing in her arms and walked across the crooked floor. She pushed open the front door, entering the outside. The brisk, spring air made the hair on arm stand on end, along with coating her body in small goose-bumps. She shivered and walked over to a rusty bike that rested against the side of the house. Attached to the handle bars was a woven basket. Inside was a plastic water bottle, which was practically useless now that the Capitol had blocked off the pipes to their house. Scoffing in disgust, she rolled her eyes.

District 11 had failed to harvest enough food for the Capitol to make a large profit. So, instead of wasting their precious money on the less than lucky people in their country, they simply cut off the water supply to their houses. Every week Jade would ride into town and bring back four jugs of water and food for the week. She would, occasionally, bring back things for them when she would go to the city to do her father's biddings.

Shoving the blue suit in the basket, Jade swung her leg over the seat and placed a foot firmly on the peddle. She pushed off with her right foot and was soon riding down the beaten path she had made many years ago. As she rode along, the cold wind whipped around her, and making the red mark on her face sting a lot more than it had been. She winced.

Muttering to herself, Jade glanced around her. She noticed the knee-high weeds and brown grass, all the colorful wild flowers and the small creatures. It was things like this that made it worth living in District Two. The capitol had yet to touch the outskirts of her district, leaving it as the beautiful, mountainous scene she could look out her window and see everyday. The thoughts that came to her reminded her of when she was a child.

Her mother would take her outside and guide her through the mountains that surrounded her home. She had shown Jade things that seemed surreal, unbelievable and even magical.

Lost in a nolgastic bliss, Jade had only just now realized she had arrived in town. To the left was a towering mountain, casting a shadow over all of the city. It was said that that was where the Capitol kept their hovercrafts, but Jade had never been there to see herself.

She came to the edge of the town and stopped. A weak, pathetic looking tree stood beside her, and was soon holding up her bike after she jumped off of the vehicle. She brushed the dirt off her jeans and shook out her green shirt. Her black hair had found it's way behind her ears, with the exception for a few strands that hung in her eyes. Her hair always seemed to do that, the girl noted. And it bugged her. Putting her hands to her head, Jade attempted to smooth it out, but to no avail.

Grumbling, Jade picked up the uniform and tucked it under her arm and started to walk into the town, going straight towards one of the smallest buildings to be seen. The house was ragged and abandoned-looking- The walls where made of poorly placed bricks and mud, the windows broken pieces of glass, and the door hung lamely on it's hinges. There was a crooked walk way to the door, made of scattered stones in an attempt to make the place look welcoming.

Pft. Welcoming. How funny.

Jade attempted to distract herself with humor as she walked up to the door. Jade approached and then came to a stop. She reached out and gave a half-hearted knock, hoping with all her heart that Demos was not home at the moment. When the door simply opened on it's own, her heart sank.

"Demos…?" She called wearily, peering through the doorway and into the darkness. Regretting it as soon as she made her move, Jade took a step inside. Another step, and another. "Demos?" Jade called again, although her voice was just barely a raspy whisper. Just then, the door shut, leaving her in complete darkness. The girl dropped the uniform on the ground, turning on her heels to face the door. Just as she was about to scream, a pair of arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer to whom ever was grasping her. Their fingers dug into her hips, his index finger finding it's way into her belt loop. With a blood-chilling chuckle, the person lower their head to her neck.

"What brings you here, _sexy?"_

The man's voice was deep and raspy, and would be attractive if it hadn't belonged to a much older man. Jade's breath picked up in fear. She didn't dare yell out, knowing that Demos would surely punish her if she did.

"Demos…. D- don't call me that." Jade stuttered, her voice raising pitches as the panic set in. Demos laughed, his warm breath on her neck. He raised his chin and bit on her ear, tugging on it roughly.

"Why? You know you love it..." Demos' tongue snaked out, tracing behind her ear and down her jaw. Jade gasped and pulled away, only to be pulled back towards him. He chuckled darkly, his intentions clearly no good.

The man shook his head slowly before moving his hands up to her bust. He squeezed a breast before grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around. Her eyes widened before Demos tipped his head to the side and crushed his lips against hers.

Biting on her lip, she had no other choice but to grant him entrance. His tongue slipped into her mouth, exploring the all-too familiar cavern. Her tongue, out of instinct, began to push his away. Demos chuckled into the kiss, enjoying the battle between them.

Standing as still as stone, she let out a squeal as she felt him tug at the bottom of her shirt. She put her hand on his chest and pushed him away, her eyes becoming glossy.

"Please, no." Jade pleaded, making Demos only more turned on. He pushed her back and against the wall. Hips against hips, noses against noses. He captured her lips again, moaning into the kiss.

He was 20, and she was 15. This wasn't right…Crying now, Jade struggled to get away from him. He laughed, his legs now pressed against the wall and his groin against her. He sucked and pulled at her lip with his teeth, his hands working at the button on her jeans. Soon, her pants were on the floor, pooling around her ankles. She cried out, his hands wandering all over her. They stopped at her shirt, making their way back up and stopping at her bra clasp. He undid it with a satisfaction. He grabbed her breast again, molesting her and going further than he had ever gone.

Just as his hands had gotten to her unmentionable area, someone broke through the door.

"Get off of her, sicko!" The voice demanded. Jade could hear foot steps. Loud, stomping foot steps. They came towards them, and then suddenly Demos was pulled off of her. With a flush of relief, Jade slid down against the wall and fell to the floor, tears streaming down her face. She put her head in her hands, trembling and sobbing.


End file.
